Published at 10:01 AM PDT on May 14, 2012 | Updated at 10:03 AM PDT on May 14, 2012

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LONDON - JULY 13: Freddie Mercury of Queen performs on stage at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium on 13th July 1985 in London. (Photo by Phil Dent/Redferns)

First Tupac, then Left-Eye — and now Freddie Mercury.

The late Queen frontman is being revived today with an "optical illusion" effect for a performance of the West End musical "We Will Rock You" in London.

Queen guitarist Brian May told BBC News last week that the band had for some time been trying to hatch a plan for Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991, to join the 10th anniversary show of the musical based on the band's music.

"It's a little unfortunate they did that thing with Tupac as we've been trying to make Freddie appear on the stage for quite a while," he said.

Rock Stars: Then and Now

He said that although the band had looked into using a hologram treatment like the one that resurrected Tupac at Coachella last month, it had decided on a different technique that was more practical.

"People will come out saying, 'did we actually see Freddie?'" he told BBC News.